textproduct: Amarillo

KEY MESSAGES

Issued at 1241 PM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026

- Windy conditions persist through the early afternoon. However these winds will continue to weaken through the rest of the afternoon and evening.

- Critical fire weather conditions forecasted for Thursday due to breezy winds and low RH.

- Warm and drier conditions are expected to keep elevated to critical fire clear present into next week.

SHORT TERM

(This evening through Thursday night) Issued at 1241 PM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026

A weather system is passing across the southern plains currently causing the tight packing of the pressure gradient. This in turn is what is driving the windy conditions across the panhandles. These winds are strongest right now but will slowly weaken for the rest of the afternoon and evening as the weather system departs. The winds will remain northerly during this time which is driving in cooler air leading to the cooler temperatures for today. Come this evening and overnight the influence of the weather system will end leaving the southern plains under the influence of the broad scale weather pattern. This see the southern plains sandwiched between the broad trough to the northeast and the high pressure to the southwest. This setup leaves the panhandles with broadly northwest flow with a fairly tight pressure gradient. This means that the winds will once again become breezy for Thursday across the panhandles. However the direction of the winds will shift to the southwest bringing in warmer and dry air across the panhandles. This will cause our temperatures to once again go above normal across the panhandles with 70s for highs being common. The dry and windy weather is causing critical fire weather concerns across the whole of the panhandles for late Thursday morning through the afternoon. As such a Red Flag Warning is now in effect for much of the daytime of Thursday.

Through both today and Thursday there will be a lack of moisture at all levels which will lead to sunny skies.

LONG TERM

(Friday through next Tuesday) Issued at 1241 PM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026

Friday and Saturday have a high chance of the southern plains remaining between the low pressure to the northeast and the high pressure to the west. This will keep the northwest flow blowing across the panhandles preventing moisture from arriving and keeping it dry. The overall pressure gradient will most likely slacken for the rest of the week leading to overall lighter winds. This lessen the fire weather concerns for the this time but doesn't fully eliminate them. Come Sunday there is a high chance that a weather system passes through the northwest flow across the panhandles. This system is most likely to be to be dry with its impacts instead centered around gusty winds and associated cold front. So the passage of this system will most likely bring cooler weather but also bring an increase in the fire weather conditions. After this high pressure has a high chance of building back across the southern plains for next work week leading to another round of warm and dry weather conditions.

AVIATION

(00Z TAFS) Issued at 628 PM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026

Northerly surface winds are beginning to weaken at the terminals but are likely to be gusting to around 20 to 30 kt for another hour or so past sunset. From there winds are expected to slowly shift to a more southerly direction during the overnight but should stay under 15 kt. Otherwise, conditions look to stay VFR at all terminals through the present package.

AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

TX...Red Flag Warning from noon to 8 PM CDT Thursday for TXZ001>020- 317.

OK...Red Flag Warning from noon to 8 PM CDT Thursday for OKZ001>003.